Port traffic mostly down

Generally not a great month to spot trends, but inbound cargo traffic at the Port of L.A. and Port of Long Beach declined in February - L.A. by 7.8 percent from a year earlier and Long Beach by 12.9 percent. Exports out of L.A. were up 9.6 percent, but down 12.9 percent out of Long Beach. One factor for the sluggishness was Chinese New Year - most everything in China is shut down for a week or more. February is normally one of the slowest months of the year for imported goods. This month should see more activity. From Chain Store Age:

"Retailers are still watching all the economic indicators very carefully, but there are enough signs of improvement that stores are carefully stocking up," NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said. "Retailers only import more if they expect to sell more, so these numbers are a sign that optimism is growing."